Criminal who beat young Facebook Marketplace seller to death over fake AirPods gets up to 28 years in prison
- Man sentenced to 28 years in prison for murder on Valentine’s Day in 2020
- Attack planned on sales of Apple AirPods the day before
A Sydney man who devised a plan to lure Ross Houllis into a car park where he was beaten to death over a pair of fake Apple AirPods has been sentenced to at least 12 years in prison for the “senseless” and “vicious” attack.
Sami Hamdach watched in silence from jail on Friday as he learned his fate in Sydney’s High Court after pleading guilty to the murder of 28-year-old Mr Houllis.
Houllis died in hospital three days after being punched, kicked and stomped in a parking lot near Wakeley in western Sydney on Valentine’s Day in 2020.
The tragedy was set in motion the day before when Hamdach agreed via Facebook Marketplace to buy a set of earphones from Mr. Houllis for $150.
The court was told that Hamdach became angry after later learning that the AirPods, which he bought as a gift for his girlfriend, were fake.
Abdul Karaali (pictured) has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for the 2020 murder of Ross Houllis
After being lured to the car park, Mr Houllis was attacked by Hamdach and his co-perpetrator Abdul Karaali, who had been brought in as “muscle” for the ambush, the court was told.
“The need for muscle arose because the intent of the offender was not only to press for a refund, but also to teach Mr. Houllis a lesson by beating him up,” Judge Stephen Campbell said in his sentencing Friday.
The court was told that Hamdach shouted loudly and aggressively for his money back during the attack.
Justice Campbell said CCTV footage showed Karaali beating Mr Houllis in the head and body while he was being held by Hamdach.
At another point in the altercation, Karaali kicked Mr. Houllis, who was standing at the time, in the head.
“Mr. Karaali stomped twice on the head in quick succession in a clearly unnecessary, senseless and cruel manner,” Judge Campbell said, noting that Hamdach prevented Karaali from delivering a third blow.
Karaali pleaded not guilty to murder, but a jury found him guilty earlier this month and he awaits sentencing.
During the attack, two motorists stopped to ask if Mr Houllis was okay, but were told he was drunk and the two men were looking after him.
Mr. Houllis (pictured) had sold Karaali’s friend, Sami Hamdach, the pair of AirPods the day before and enlisted Karaali to ambush Mr. Houllis, believing them to be fakes
After fleeing the scene, Hamdach was identified as his ute was captured on CCTV.
Mr. Houllis passed away on February 17, 2020 due to catastrophic brain injury.
Justice Campbell said Hamdach was the “progenitor” of the joint criminal enterprise that led to Mr Houllis’ death, which occurred when he “took the law into his own hands”.
“I must say that one of the perplexing aspects of the perpetrator’s crime was the difficulty in understanding how a young man with no real criminal record, who led an otherwise productive life, became involved in the murder of Mr. Houllis over such a trivial issue of the supply of non-genuine ear plugs,” Judge Campbell said.
Hamdach was sentenced to 16 years and two months in prison, with a non-parole period of 12 years. In time, he will be eligible for release for the first time in February 2032.